Meat mold



May 29, 1923.

O.V M. WOLFF MEAT MOLD Filed Dec. i2, 1919 Patented May 29, i923.

OSCAR M. WoLFF, or oiarIoiLGo, InLINoIs, .assIeNoi'ajToB. ce. HnNnxjooMPnivmor e CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A'conronnirfon, or ILLINOIS.

Meer Morin.; l' .i

Alipiieation ia necemteriaisia' s,eiji'fiiivo.j*3424,4353,"`

To @ZZ/whom .concer/idf, j y y .Be it known that I, OsoAR M. `Vloiirig'a citizenof the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county `of 'Coolaand State'of Illinois, have invented certain new and use. ful Improvements in Meat ,Molds of which they followingis ak specification. f

Thisl invention relates to meat `cookers in which hams or other meats are cookedwhile compressed into aform .suitable `for slicing, the bones and inedibleportions'having been previously removed. l f y There is a demand for cooked hams which may be cut. into thinslices and which are "of such shapethat there is ,little, wastei, they most desirable shape being rectangular. x

One of the objects of my invention` is` to provide a cooker ingwhich a boned ham is subjected to such pressureduring the cooli-V ing operation thatkit is forced intoja 'rec-` tangular shape, the meat at the extrem-ities being 11e-distributed so'that the texture is made substantially homogenous and all waste is avoided.v n o In the following description I shall refer to the accompanying drawings in which-` Figure lis a longitudinal vertical sectional view of a meat mold and cooker embodying myv invention, the saine being taken on the line l-l of Fig. 2; which Yis a top plan of the same; Fig. 3, is an end view and Fig. 4 a transverse sectional view'on the line 'llof 2.

rl`he box or container is rectangular and may have separate ends 2 riveted to the side and bottom member 3, as shown, or the en.-l

tire box may be integral, such as a pressed steel stamping.

Thetop member within the box and is reinforced with marginal flanges 5il and intermediate ribs 5b and 5, the latter having notched serrated end portions 5e forming racks adapted to c ooperate with pawls 8 in securing the top.

After the boned hams are placed in the receptacle or container, the latter is positioned under the pressure plate l0 of a power press and subjected to a pressureA of about two thousand pounds, Thiscompacts the meat and causes it to conform to the rectangular shapeof the container. As the cover plate is forced down, the pawls 8 descend, moving from tooth to tooth along 'the racks 5e 'and maintain the cover in its lowermo'st position orcover 5 loosely when thepressure is `removed`vandthe con?,-

tainers are transferred yto the; cooking ,Cifveiispv Duringv the -cookingfpr'ocess 'the' ineatfex; Y v pands,'thereby tending to increasethepres; f sure against the coveij.plate. Ifhave'foundfV j that this causes a `certainjI irvoportionbf the juices to be expelled which is ,not'onlydele- Y terious tothe liavorbut alsocauses ,the'meatx to become tooy dry. To .overcome thisfdiliiculty I haveprovided meanslfor `maintaining i a, predetermined pressure'upon the meat ldur-v Y j o ingtlie cooking operation but perinittjing,anl

expansion of rthe containerchamber as the'.v

meat swells.v I have shown' one means'gof ac#4 coinplishing Athis result inthe accompanying 'Y drawings, 'by securing the-pawls 8 to gbolts 4the :ends `2 ofthe container and;vwhich 'a are yieldably held against sliding movement springs 15. 1 The tension on these 1 springs may be" adjusted to the desired `pressure 4by Y means'` of the nutsl. The pawls arek pref-- erably pivotally held between'ears 12a'ou the heads of the bolts.

With thevr construction above ,describeditfo i will be ,observed that the pressure which will v be maintained on the cover lplate when `the container is removed from'thepower lpress willi dependy upon the resistance of the springs l5 and that thisv pressure may be pre-"- i nuts lon the bolts 12... As the meat vswells against thevcover plate, vthe springs permit the bolts and pawls tomoveupwardly to'anv amount which will equalize the pressure and and expands' during the cooking operation, thereby increasing the upwardv pressure`v bring it within the predetermined amount.l

permitting they juices to be retained within the meat.

.The interior space is thus increased in proportion to the expansion of the' meat, thereby `V y By arranging 4the ratchets along the *top*l of the cover so that thepawls may swing inwardl)7- overy'tlhe cover, the structure. is made' very compact and exceedingly rigid, f the j I pawls being advantageously arranged `to determined by adjustingl the position of theg185 and modifications can be made Without departing therefrom. t

I claim 1. A device for molding and Cooking meats comprising a easing, a Cover slidable therein, and provided with a rack, a boltmounted for movement in a direction parallel to that of the cover and Carrying a paWl to engage said rack, 'and a spring operating upon said bolt adapted to receive thelpredetermined pres- Y Surey upon said pawl.

Q2.Y A receptacle for molding and cooking meats comprising a easing, a flat @over slidabl'e therein, yieldable means engaging the cover atterthe cover is compressed to maintain the pressure exerted upon the contents of the receptacle, and means for varying the kpressure exerted by said yieldable means.

the combination of a Casing having an open top and apertured lugs exteriorly of the casing at opposite points, bolts having abutments thereon, said bolts movable endWise in said lugs, springs Carried by the bolts and interposed between the lugs and the abutments on the bolts, pawls pvoted to the bolts at the opposite sides or' the lugs to the springs, and a pressure plate bodily movable in the easing andy having rack portions at its outer side opposed to the said pavvls.

5. ln 'a meat mold and cooking receptacle, the combination of a easing having an open top and apertured lugs exteriorly of thel casing at opposite points, bolts having abutments thereon, said bolts movable endvvise in said lugs, springs carried by the bolts and interposed between-the lugs and the abutments on the bolts, pawls pivoted to the bolts at the opposite sides of the lugs to the springs, and a pressure plate bodily movable in the easing and having rack portions at its outer side opposed tothe said pavvls; the said abutments on the bolts being adjustable abutments threadedy on the bolts for the tensioning ol' the spring.

ln testimony whereofl affix my signature.

@SCAR M. WOLFF. 

